1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to musical instruments, particularly to drums, and most particularly to conga drums.
2. Related Art
The pedal system in the drum for control of the mechanical voice system of strings has been used for many years since the invention of the harp. The mechanism and use of these pedals for musical tone changes and sound control are described in the “double movement” or “double-action” pedal system in the UK Pat. No. 3332, patented May of 1810, by Sebastian Erard.
U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/736,182, filed Nov. 14, 2005.
In the Sachs-Hornbostel system of musical instrument classification known to those skilled in the art, a conventional conga drum is classed as a membranophone, since its main means for producing sound is the vibration of tightly stretched membrane. A conventional conga drum is thus limited to the range of sounds producible by a membranophone.
Hand percussionists in particular may experience hand trauma due to repetitive physical impact while drumming. Bone structure and soft tissue changes typically occur, leading to poor blood and oxygen supply, nerve damage, callus formation and even bone fractures in cases of aggressive inexperienced hand drummers. Transport of heavy instruments is also often a challenge to percussionists. Drum shells of hand percussion instruments such as congas are often made of heavy wood, metal, or fiberglass, necessary to provide sturdiness and resistance to cracking during percussion.